Raw materials
1995-98 target: An average annual increase in raw materials eco-productivity by 2 percentage points. The target was not achieved in 1997. This surprising result should be seen in the light of the very large improvement obtained in 1996. Please note that the figures for raw materials have been changed due to an error in the 1996 report. The eco-productivity index has been adjusted from 137 to 133 and the improvement from 1995 to 1996 was 9 percentage points - still a satisfactory figure. Optimization of several process steps, also with respect to raw materials efficiency, has been successfully implemented in 1997. These improvements, however, were not reflected in the eco-productivity index but we are confident that the index will improve satisfactorily in 1998. 40% of the raw materials purchased for our manufacturing processes are renewable agricultural products such as potato starch, soya beans and sugar. Other major raw materials include filtering aids, acids, alkalis, salts and organic solvents. Only a minor proportion is considered to be detrimental to human health or the environment. Water 1995-98 target: An average annual increase in water eco-productivity by 5 percentage points. The eco-productivity index went up 10 percentage points compared to 1996. This is 5 percentage points more than the target. There are strong incentives for continued efforts to save water especially because of the limited availability of ground water. Large improvements in water consumption have been obtained in 1997, e.g. in our enzyme plant in Kalundborg, the largest water consumer at Novo Nordisk. Operators in the plant have been engaged in detecting points where water was wasted and also in creating alternative procedures which could reduce water consumption. This broad involvement has - together with increased reuse of water - brought impressive results. Energy 1995-98 target: An average annual increase in energy eco-productivity by 4 percentage points. Two years of strong focus on energy consumption have finally resulted in a significant improvement in energy eco-productivity of no less than 16 percentage points. Increasing energy efficiency has been a target for many sites particularly in Denmark. Since the introduction in 1995 of a new energy tax legislation, the consumption of energy has been scrutinized by several groups in production. During the first year of analysis and planning, these considerable efforts had no effect on the energy productivity. The subsequent improvements in installations and in procedures are now clearly reflected in the 1997 figures for energy productivity. |
